


K-1

by RachelZimon



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: A wild Beta reader appears, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Completely Inspired by 90 Day Fiancee, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family Issues, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, K1 Visa, Love, Mostly from Kylo though, Not Beta Read, Older Man/Younger Woman, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Redeemed Ben Solo, References to War, Smut, So much fluff it will rot your teeth, Some angst, getting married
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-02-17 20:30:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13084782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RachelZimon/pseuds/RachelZimon
Summary: His mother, ever too keen for his own good, leaned somehow even further across the table until it felt like she was right in front of him. Kylo swallowed down a knot in this throat. Her eyes were scanning him as only she could, looking at him the same way she had his whole life when he was keeping secrets or unsure of how to voice himself.“And,” Leia asked.“And,” Kylo said slowly, unsure how to really ask, “and I would like it if you would join me at the airport when she arrives tomorrow.”





	1. One

“I’m getting married.”

Kylo didn’t need to look up from his plate to know the exact look of shock on his parents faces. His father had spit his coffee out in a sputter back into the cup and his mothers cutlery fell in a clutter. He finally looked up as he popped another forkful of steak into his mouth. His parents had matching expressions, the same ones he had expected, with mouths gaping like fish and blown wide eyes.

He had purposely picked a busy high-end restaurant for this. His parents would make less of a scene in public and the less fighting the better. He popped another piece of steak in his mouth, waiting impatiently for one of them to say something. His foot was tapping anxiously under the table and he wondered if telling them at all was a good idea.

Finally, his father slumped forward on the table and peered at him like he was crazy, “You’re what!?”

His voice attracted the stares of the tables surrounding. Kylo knew that of the two of them his father would be the one with the loudest reaction. His mother immediately jumped into action and tried to soothe him, running her hands on his shoulder and demanding in whispers for him to calm down and that people were staring. The tell-tale clicks of a few cellphone cameras had already gone off. Kylo had hoped to avoid this. The tabloids had only just stopped running headlines about ex-senator Leia Organa and her husband, daredevil pilot Han Solo, reuniting with their estranged son.

Kylo hated the attention it brought him, though he had to admit he was bringing a lot more clients into his law firm looking to work with him. His mother had always been a point of interest in American news. The vultures around them wouldn’t hesitate to send undesirable pictures off to idiotic magazines looking for a quick buck.

“I’m getting married,” Kylo repeated. He sat up straight in front of them, towering over them both from across the table. He left his knife and fork across his plate just as those etiquette classes ingrained on him as a child. Despite the calm demeanor he was trying to show, his legs jittered nervously and left the table vibrating.

His mother frowned at him, obviously hurt, “I didn’t know you were dating anyone.”

“Have you been dating someone this whole time and didn’t tell us,” Han asked and the similar hurt that he heard in his mother’s voice reflected in his fathers. Kylo hadn’t expected that or the twist in his gut in response.

“No, I haven’t,” Kylo said, starkly.

Han’s head cocked to the side in confusion, “You’ve only been back-”

He cut the sentence short, taking the time to cough gruffly at his lap and adjust the tie Kylo knew he hated around his neck. Han didn’t have to finish the sentence for him to know what his father was going to say. He’d been out of their lives for so long. It was something he truly regretted now that he was back with them and on stable ground. Whatever hurt he still felt was minuscule compared to the anger he’d had as a child, but everything was still so fragile.

“What your father means to say is-”

Kylo cut his mother off with a gentle hand, “I know what he means to say. He’s right.”

Han shoved a giant chunk of his grilled chicken into his mouth and chewed viciously, swallowing the whole thing down with half a glass of wine. Leia winced at the display, but kept her hands on his shoulder. Her nails squeezed into the old jacket that Han had refused to throw out since Kylo’s childhood.

“Let me get this straight. Whoever this person is that you’re marrying – you haven't known them even a year?”

Kylo shrugged, “You and mom got married after dating two months.”

Han recoiled and Leia hands tightened even further into his jacket. She spoke with measured breaths, “That’s different.”

It had been and Kylo knew that. His parents had met when his father had been caught up in the Alderaan civil war while trying to take a short cut through the country with his less than legal cargo. Kylo had never been told many details of their time during the war, only tiny things that painted enough of a picture that it satiated his curiosity as a child. Then, it had sounded like a fairy tale. His mother, Crown Princess of Alderaan, somehow falling in love with some scruffy criminal and along the way finding out she had a twin brother all in the months before Alderaan eventually destroyed itself. Theirs was a whirlwind romance, one the tabloids went mad over and spun mighty stories and false-hoods about.

Even now, anniversary editions of the story came up every few years, some even going so far as to mention Kylo himself, the “Absent Prince of Alderaan”. The only pictures they had for most had been childhood photos — some simple family portraits and others of him dressed in full royal attire as he attended the memorial every year in the UK. No one at work had put together the pieces of his lineage, and he hoped it stayed that way.

“How long then,” Leia asked. Suddenly, her voice was stern and Kylo knew she had moved past the initial shock and was likely livid. It was her political voice, strong and simmering, and it was when she used it that Kylo knew exactly where his temper had come from.

“Six months.”

Han nearly smashed his head into the table he was so flabbergasted, “Six months!? You can’t get married after six months.”

As Kylo went to open his mouth, Han cut him off, “Don’t you dare being up your mother and me again.”

He snapped his mouth shut, glaring up at his father like an opposing rival. Old scars were aching in his chest, but he worked to keep them at bay with steady breaths through his nose. He waited until he was calm enough not to snap back at him. This had been such a mistake.

“I knew I shouldn’t of told you.”

Leia practically pushed Han off the table to throw herself head first in her sons direction. Her eyes were full of fire that were quickly melting Kylo’s resolve to stay.

“No! You should have told us sooner,” she demanded, her eyes narrowing suspiciously, “It isn’t that blonde woman from your office, is it?”

“Caprise,” Kylo questioned, he shook his head, “No, of course not.”

“Thank goodness,” Leia sighed, “That woman is as cold as ice.”

“About as exciting too,” Han added, poking at what was left of chicken with disdain.

While an apt description, Kylo wasn’t sure he wanted to sit and listen to his parents insult one of his employees. While about as sociable as a brick, the woman was quick-witted and trustworthy.

“So, if it’s not that woman,” Leia started, Kylo rolled his eyes but knew this was as important as the conversation was going to be, “Who is it then?”

At that, Kylo smiled, ducking his head down to his plate to hide the embarrassing elation on his face. His mind was suddenly full of freckled cheeks and hazel eyes that shined like stain-glass windows. He could feel his parents stares and the hot redness flushing across his face. His heart squeezed in his chest as her name left his tongue.

“Her name is Rey.”

Kylo’s eyes searched the patterns of the fancy table cloth in front of him as he tried to find the right words. It was odd, wanting his parents back in his life. Even odder, that he wanted to share this with them. He wanted to show them that they were wrong, and that the serious little child they knew was gone, and that he _could_ be happy.

His mother, ever too keen for his own good, leaned somehow even further across the table until it felt like she was right in front of him. Kylo swallowed down a knot in this throat. Her eyes were scanning him as only she could, looking at him the same way she had his whole life when he was keeping secrets or unsure of how to voice himself.

“And,” Leia asked.

“And,” Kylo said slowly, unsure how to really ask, “and I would like it if you would join me at the airport when she arrives tomorrow.”

——————

_Kylo met Rey in a little coffee shop in London._

_He had joined his mother, for the first time in over ten years, to the Alderaan memorial. The English had been Alderaan’s closest trade partners and had taken it upon themselves to keep it’s memory alive. His mother, as always, was treated by everyone as the Princess she was raised as and the Queen she was meant to be. It was the only time a year that he could remember his mother dressing like royalty as a child, and even now, with her silver-grey hair and the soft lines to her face, she looked as much like the rebel princess as she was portrayed to be._

_The ceremony had been the same as it had when he was young. Leia spoke in front of a large stone plaque that had stood for thirty years in the middle of “ Little Alderaan ”. Those who still lived and remembered the war and the country were all in attendance, watching solemnly as their Princess spoke of their old home with passion and love. Leia never cried, but Kylo knew she came closer each time._

_He stayed after for as long as he could take. Many people were overjoyed to see him in a way that unnerved him. He didn’t know these people, but they knew him and talked as if they were old friends who had only fallen out of touch for a little bit. He did his best to be cordial and polite, but his robes were too stuffy and the collar was obnoxious around his throat. He kept getting caught on his sash as he moved and the pins and broaches were spiky and stupid._

_His mother sent him on his way when she noticed him about to explode and rip his clothes to pieces. Her eyes were wet and he tried to insist he stay, if only for her, but she shook her head and dismissed him. He’d done his duty, she said, and she was proud of him for coming. He meant a lot to these people, whether he understood that fully or not, and just his presence was a good thing._

_He’d never been called a good presence before. He didn’t think he’d ever been described as good when it came to anything other than his job. For the first time since he left, Kylo leaned into his mothers arms and crushed her to his chest as he whispered his goodbyes. He didn’t watch her face as he left because he knew he’d be reduced to tears and he was past that now. He couldn’t go back when he had finally stopped mourning all he had lost._

_He rushed back to their hotel and changed as quickly as he could. It was difficult, his fingers too big for the little buttons on his jacket and his resolve slowly waning until he finally just ripped his sash off with the promise that he’d get it fixed before his mother found out. He needed to get out and wander, let his feet burn off all the buzzing inside that made him feel like her could burst. Dressed back in black and comfortable again, he set off onto the streets of London._

_Kylo walked around for hours. When it was clear that no one outside of Little Alderaan recognized him, he was relieved and nothing was there to stop him from walking all the anxious jitters inside of him away. When he feet finally became too sore to keep going, he ducked into a tiny cafe on a corner._

_He crashed into someone speeding out the door. They both fell out back into the street and hit the sidewalk in a collision of limbs. Hot tea spilled across the two of them and they both winced as they tried to move from the ground. When Kylo pulled his head up from pavement, fully ready to start screaming at whoever hit him, he froze. Sprawled onto of him and covered in tea, a girl lifted her head from his chest._

_He knew she was something different immediately. Her eyes caught his in a blurry haze. They were the brightest hazel he’d ever seen. Her nose was dusted with freckles. Her lips were the perfect shade of pink and reminded him of rose petals._

_Suddenly, her demeanor changed. Gone was the confused girl and out came a ferocious lioness out for the kill. She bared her teeth at him like a cornered animal. Using his stomach as leverage, she pushed her way off of him. He followed her up, a scowl on his face as he picked at his wet clothes. The chill outside was already leaving his skin cold. When he looked back up at her, she was much the same. Sadly, she held her scarf up and away from her like it was an eel draped around her shoulders._

_Glaring at him, she spat, “Watch where you’re going arsehole!”_

_She whipped past him, muttering under her breath profanity that would impress his mother in their creativity. She was half way down the block away from him when his legs finally caught up with his head and he chased after her._

——————

The airport wasn’t as crowded as Kylo had anticipated, being the middle of the week most people were on layover or waiting with signs to pick up patrons, but he still felt as if he was drowning. His chest was tight with nerves, his heart beating against his ribs like it explode out in a great mess. Han and Leia were behind him, seated near, and completely calm. He couldn’t understand how when in a few minutes everything would change and they’d be meeting the woman he was going to marry.

Leia has been a surprising comfort in the car on the drive from his apartment. Han had insisted on driving, and Kylo only had to sit in the back the back of his fathers precious Millennium Falcon to immediately feel out of place. He felt like a child again, in all the worst ways, half expecting to spend the drive listening to his parents fighting like on every family road trip or day out. Instead, Leia shocked him by crawling into the backseat with him. She tapped Han’s shoulder, sent him off, and pulled a small flask out from her breast pocket. She sipped it daintily and then shoved it into Kylo’s fingers. He took a long swig and it felt like liquid fire burning down his throat - for a woman with such extravagant taste, his mother’s alcohol always tasted more like paint stripper.

Leia didn’t waste any time. With a pleasant heat in their stomachs, she started rambling. Kylo did his best to placate her; he answered all her questions as well as he could. No, Rey wasn’t short for anything. Yes, she was excited to meet them. No, she wouldn’t care where they went for dinner. Yes, this was her first time leaving the UK.

The drive went by quickly. It was the longest conversation he’d had with either of his parents since he was a child, but it didn’t feel the same. He felt full, a glowing happiness spreading in his chest as he spoke. He blamed it on the drink but his mother stared at him, her all knowing eyes smiling along with her mouth. They finished the flask (mostly Leia) between her questions. By the time they reached the airport, Leia’s nose was blushed.

They had been waiting for nearly an hour when Kylo’s phone dinged in his pocket. He had been pacing the floor anxiously, unable to keep still for long before his nerves caught up and he just needed to _move_. Behind him, Leia perked up and rushed to his side as he fumbled his phone out of his pocket. Han scoffed but watched from his seat intently, despite pretending he was too invested in the newspaper under his nose.

The text was simple but sent his stomach into wondrous knots:

_Just landed! See you soon!_

Logically, he knew that there was still going to be a significant amount of time before she walked through the doors and he would see her again, but it had just been so _long_. The two months apart since his last visit had felt like forever ago. He had been dreaming of what would happen when she finally stepped on American soil since her visa had been approved and her plane ticket booked. Now that it was here, he had no idea what to expect.

He had never imagined his parents would be here for one. It had been a last minute decision, one he still wasn’t sure was a good idea. He didn’t want to overwhelm her and was worried with the way his mother was now flitting around him trying to get a peek at his phone he had a feeling that her reaction to actually seeing Rey would scare the living daylights out of her.

He fired off a quick text back to her and exited his messages before his mother could read any of it over his shoulder:

_Finally_

His mother poked at his back, straight between his shoulder blades until he turned around. He twisted his mouth at her with annoyance but she just rolled her eyes and tried to grab for his phone in his hand. He held it out of her reached, perplexed. The alcohol must have been stronger than he thought - Leia always got a little touchy and demanding when the buzz kicked in.

“I want pictures,” she said sternly.

“You’re going to see her in a little while,” Kylo muttered.

Leia frowned, “Then how will I know what she looks like?”

“I told you in the car.”

“Yeah,” she snipped, “brown hair, hazel eyes, freckles... very descriptive.”

Kylo rolled his eyes, frustrated. His mother did have a point - he hadn’t been the most elaborate when it came to describing Rey. He knew if he got started and began to pour it all out that everything he thought and loved about her would spill like a waterfall. He could easily imagine his mother’s face agape in shock as he spouted obsessively about how when she smiled it felt like he might go blind from the light she radiated, or how her dimples were perfect and deep and how she giggled when he kissed them. His father would be much the same as he ranted about how special she was because she wasn’t just pretty but so fucking smart and could probably outsmart the lot of them.

“Just show your mother a picture,” Han grunted, not bothering to look up from his newspaper.

“Fine, fine,” Kylo acquiesced.

He opened his phone up, but held it high enough that his mother couldn’t see through his pictures as he scrolled to find the right one to show her. He knew he had a bit of a problem then. It had become a habit to save any picture she sent him, any little bit of her day, or selfies that he usually had to ask for. Then there were the pictures he really didn’t want his mother or anyone else in the world for that matter. Secret photos of swaths of skin, with blushing bodies and parted legs. He shifted as inconspicuously as he could and tried to conjure up whatever he could to keep from popping a boner in front of his mother – though he was sure a hardcore hard-on was imminent. She did that to him; she only needed to smile or talk to him on the phone or just simply exist and his body reacted like he was a teenager and not a man on the cusp of thirty.

Eventually, he settled on a photo. It was an older one, a few months old. It was the day before he left back for home the first time and they were out to dinner at a fancy restaurant he had to pester her into going to with him. She was under-dressed and he couldn’t care less, the little tan dress loose around her body and a pair of ratty converse on her feet. She was wearing his jacket over her shoulders, and smiling shyly across the table, candlelight bouncing off her hair and lighting her eyes up like a sunset.

He passed his phone over and watched with pride as his mother’s eyes lit up and she smiled with watery eyes. Instead of giving his phone back, she trotted over to Han and shoved the picture in his face. Han sputtered at the sudden intrusion, but once he caught sight of the photo, he looked impressed as he shrugged and threw a thumbs up at Kylo from his seat.

Leia made to start swiping through his phone and alarms went off in Kylo’s head. He charged over and stole the phone from her hands. Leia let out an indignant huff and Han chuckled down to himself. He winked up a Kylo with a saucy smirk on his mouth and Kylo’s face flushed beyond red. He double checked his screen just to make sure his mother hadn’t seen anything she didn’t need to – she hadn’t, thank goodness.

“You’ll see her soon,” he said, tucking his phone into his pocket and away from them both.

But Leia wasn’t looking at him anymore, but beyond him.

“I think I do now,” she said, voice hardly above a whisper but sounding like a sly smile was behind her lips.

Time felt like it had suddenly slowed as Kylo turned around and there, _standing right there_ , real and with a carry-on bag slung around her shoulder and a single wheeled case behind her, was Rey. She waved shyly and he couldn’t help the grin that split his face in two. She dropped her bags in a thump, and Kylo ran to meet her as she sprinted at him and threw herself into his arms. Laughing, she clung to his neck and buried her hands into his hair. His hands were holding her up around his back and he held her tightly to his chest, feeling her whole body shake with wet giggles.

She pulled back and smiled down at him. Fuck, he had missed her.

“Hi,” she breathed. One of her fingers trailed down the scar that bisected his eye and down his cheek until the collar of his shirt got in her way, “Monster.”

He buried his face into her neck and mushed his lips against her pulse in a wet kiss, “Hello, Scavenger.”

The world around them was gone. Everything was her; everything was him. There was only her body, legs wrapped tightly around his waist in a pinch, and his heat filling her chest with butterflies and palpitations beyond her control.

She held his face still and finally, _oh it had been so long_ , pressed her lips to his. It was hardly more than a hard peck, but it still sent his body reeling. He missed this; he missed her. His brain was caught in a loop, chanting her name on repeat, and fuzzy with the feel of her.

A cough behind him broke the spell and he suddenly felt numb with embarrassment. Rey’s face was similarly red, blushing beyond control and staring behind him at his parents. He let her go and she dropped to the floor quietly. Kylo turned to face his parents as they approached the two of them, letting the hand closest to her trail across her spine in what he hoped was soothing.

Leia was the first to reach them, Han trailing behind just a tad slower. She looked Rey up and down with appraising eyes and Rey stiffened under the older woman’s gaze. Then, Leia’s face broke out into a smile and she snatched Rey’s hands into her own.

“You must be Rey,” she said.

“I am.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY for the wait!! Second semester was hell and I don't know how people managed to write a ton during school!
> 
> Regardless, I'm back - with a nice long chapter so hopefully that is a nice bonus to my apology. I can't believe we have nearly 200 kudos for this fluffy ass fic but as long as people are enjoying it, I am happy to share!
> 
> In other news - I have a Tumblr! I gave in and got one to share with a friend of mine. It's mostly an art blog (we're both animation students) but it's also just personal and fic related stuff so if anyone wants to talk or check it out it's under "ColonandCane".  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/colonandcane
> 
> Also! If anyone out there plays "Galaxy of Heroes" and is looking for an active, just let's have fun guild - I'm looking for new members for "The Grey Order Collective". 
> 
> As usual, this is being posted pretty much right after I finished the chapter and all mistakes are my own. Big thanks to lastmistborn for all her help with this!

In truth, Kylo really didn’t want to go out to dinner.

With Rey finally by his side again, he had hoped to steal her away back home ( _their home!_ ) where he could kiss her until their lips were bruised and keep her warm until they had thoroughly exhausted themselves with celebration. He had been overly excited the week before her arrival, practically turning into a nesting bird. He’d filled the underneath of his bed with little gifts – most of them were for the both of them, he had reasoned, so as far as he was concerned going a little overboard was okay.

He had been a mess of jitters. Her arrival was circled on every calendar he owned like a red beacon. He didn’t know what to do with himself. It didn’t matter that he had work. He had delegated the majority of it to new associates after he’d spent an entire day staring at a new case file and realizing he couldn't remember even his client’s name when he got home.

The two week wait between her visa approval and her first steps on American soil had been a strange mix of miserable and manic excitement. The other lawyers avoided him at the firm, thoroughly frightened by his change in demeanor. He couldn’t help that he was smiling so much. Things were finally going right in his life for the first time; before meeting Rey, everything had just been a blur of pain and anger that had swallowed him and spat him out like trash once satisfied.

Suddenly, everything felt _whole_. His newly established Sunday dinners with his parents no longer felt like salt water burning his skin. The cases he worked had more merit beyond another paycheck. His chest was full with a contentment so wonderfully normal that he was sure his ribs would crack from the pressure.

Now, she was here beside him. Perfect and tangible and real.

Having her by his side, sitting in the back of Han’s stupid car like children, both calmed him and buzzed him up even more. She held his hand like she’d disappear back to England if she let go, and he held hers just as tight, even as their fingers went numb. She was making pleasant small talk with his mother, trying her best to hide the apprehension in her voice. He could hear it, could feel it in her shaky fingers. She was still stiff and embarrassed; her cheeks blushed a pretty pink that he felt a little guilty for enjoying so much.

And as much as he _really_ didn’t want to go out, dinner would help things. Rey probably hadn’t eaten much beside airline snacks in a few hours – not that already snacking would stop her from devouring whatever plate was put in front of her. It would give his heart time to adjust to her actually being beside him. He might have a heart attack if his pulse was anything to go by and he preferred that the rest of the life he’d promised to spend with her would last longer than a day.

He just hoped that bringing his parents along wouldn’t turn into the spectacle he was afraid of.

They (and by they, it had been Leia insisting based off Yelp reviews) decided on a diner not far from Kylo’s apartment. Rey had insisted on nothing expensive. Kylo could feel his mother rolling her eyes from the front seat – her tone betraying how much she couldn’t care what the cost was. Still, Rey persisted. Kylo smirked and squeezed her hands as best he could with numb fingers. She looked up at him from under her lashes, shy and grinning cheek to cheek.

He couldn’t help himself. He leaned over the center seat and pressed his lips firmly to her hairline. As light as it was, she shivered under his touch and he swelled with masculine pride at her hitch of breath.

Suddenly, Han broke the moment and barked from the front seat, “Hey! No PDA!”

It wasn’t real anger, but the blase sarcasm that Kylo had come to hate. Leia immediately moved to chastise him, hitting his shoulder with a hard smack once they had reached a red light. Han just laughed, that stupid smirk reaching Kylo’s glare in the rear-view mirror. It didn’t matter though – the damage had already been done. Rey yanked her hand away and tucked both between her knees awkwardly. The blush on her cheeks deepened with her embarrassment and when he tried to reach for her she waved him off with a huff.

‘Later,’ she mouthed to him.

He fell back into his seat with a heat of anger building in the back of his throat. _It wouldn’t be too much longer_ , he reasoned, _just dinner and then they could leave_.

At least his parents were doing a superb job of keeping him from sporting a boner. If he had to deal with one all through dinner, he’d probably go crazy and end up dragging Rey to the washroom and fucking her in a lust filled delusion of pent up sexual frustration. That was the opposite of what he wanted. He wanted their first night to be perfect with all the stupid romantic fixings that he used to scoff at and despise.

From the corner of his eye, he watched her. She was still talking to his mother – nothing serious, he knew those questions would come at dinner and he was fucking dreading it – but her eyes were floating, darting to look out of every window. She was watching the skyline, silhouetted by the slowly dimming sky filled with pinks and violets. The colours reflected off her face in a kaleidoscope, like she was a divine figure from a stained glass window. A goddess trapped in human flesh.

She caught his gaze and that broad sun-smile of hers split her cheeks. He knew his face was much more passive than hers – as it always was. Rey teased him mercilessly about smiling more but she could see the glee in his eyes and that was enough.

So much for not having an erection through dinner.

——————

The diner that they had agreed on turned out to be nothing like what Kylo had in mind.

He had passed the restaurant on his daily commute for years. From the outside, it had looked innocuous; nothing special with an air of hipsterism that was just off-putting enough that he had never spared it much attention. Inside, however, was certainly much more.

The walls were black and littered with old newspaper clippings and black and white photos of the surrounding areas when it was still in development. There were tables made of petrified wood and all the surrounding chairs and booths were rich deep mahogany with bright red cushions. The whole place reeked of pseudo-modernism and pretension and Rey looked like she was about to bolt out the door.

Kylo reached over to rest his hand on the dip of her spine, letting his thumb stroke the bony notch of her hip. She was holding herself upright, tight like someone had sewn a rod into her back. Her was face was impassive but her eyes betrayed her fake confidence, appraising the room uncomfortably. Beyond them, his mother was chatting with the Head of House while Han browsed a menu looking rather displeased. Rey was eyeing them cautiously.

Kylo leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I can make an excuse.”

She didn’t look at him, still too absorbed in watching his parents bicker as a waitress came over and collected their menus. The waitress waved the group to follow her and they all did, Kylo making sure to keep Rey closer to him than his parents. She took a steady breath in through her nose before exhaling it in a whoosh.

“No, it’s fine,” she said, not completely in a whisper but quiet enough that his parents couldn’t hear, “I was just surprised to meet them today.”

“It was a last minute decision,” he confessed, “When I asked, I didn’t expect them to say yes.”

Rey turned and cocked an eyebrow at him, unamused. He shrugged sheepishly.

“They’ll love you anyways,” he said, insistent, “They probably already do.”

“I doubt it,” she murmured. If they weren’t so close to people, Kylo wouldn’t have held back. He wanted to turn and shake her. She was so distrusting of the world and people; she deserved all the love the universe could offer her. Everyone he had met who knew her – granted there weren’t many – loved her with boundless affection. Even her disgusting foster father held a stranger respect for her, something he supposed that the lumbering old man would never admit existed but was there. She broke the moment when she deadpanned, “The first thing they saw was me practically accosting you in the airport.”

Kylo hummed under his breath, as small smirk on his face, “If anything, you impressed Han with that. Mother already saw pictures of you. She asked me more questions than I can remember.”

Suddenly, Rey twisted and faced him all wide-eyes and parted lips, “She’s going to want to ask me questions too?” She tugged at the sleeves of her sweater nervously and sighed, “Of course she is. I’m marrying you. What do I tell her?”

“The truth,” he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

Rey’s head sunk and she stared at his chest. Her fingers began to tug at the button by his collar, hesitant and she started worrying at her bottom lip.

“I want them to approve of me,” she whispered.

Ignoring the stares of his parents, now sitting at a table and waiting impatiently, he tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her face to look at him. He pressed a tender kiss to her mouth, a fleeting touch that left him buzzing like he’d been electrified. She sagged down with slight relief, her eyes still closed, but a willing curve to her lips.

“C’mon, if Han doesn’t eat he gets unbearable,” he urged quietly.

Her stomach gurgled in affirmation, as if on command, and she chuckled to herself, “I do too.”

——————

_Finn was the best friend Rey could have asked for._

_He was sweet, funny, and most importantly didn’t bother the snot out of her like most people. He cleaned after himself, near obsessively, cooked well enough, and was never late on his part of the finances. Her friendship with Finn was easy and everything sitcoms had led her expect._

_They were both creatures of habit. Get up, go to work, come home to dinner, de-stress, and do it all over again. There were unspoken rules not to be broken within the walls of their tiny apartment. Tuesday’s were for tacos (cliche but so good), and every second Friday was reserved for greasy pizza from the little shop on the corner accompanied by a cheap movie rental. It was comforting. She knew what to expect and she liked that._

_At least, she thought she did._

_Across the table, Rose was rambling between mouthfuls of pasta. Finn was happily engaged, laughing along like the doting boyfriend he was. Rey had lost track of the conversation but in the back of her mind could recognize the pauses where she should nod or hum to appease both of them. Her thoughts were elsewhere. They wandered, little creatures that had left the path and tempted her to follow. Her hand discretely slipped into her back pocket to graze the business card crumpled there. It felt glossy and expensive._

“ _You okay, Peanut?”_

_She looked up to find both Finn and Rose staring at her worriedly. Finns brows were furrowed like when he was trying to figure out a crossword puzzle clue._

“ _Yes,” Rey snipped, “of course I am.”_

_Rose backed up in her seat but Finn did no such thing. With an unamused huff, he leaned forward and pointed towards Rey’s plate. Her eyes dropped to the full load of pasta before her. Rey tensed and narrowed her gaze at Finn defensively._

“ _Peanut...” he started._

_Rey cut him off immediately, “I’m just not hungry right now.”_

“ _You’re always hungry,” he insisted._

“ _I know but I’m just...” Rey’s voice trailed off as she realized she didn’t know what to say. Finn’s puppy dog face was both breaking her heart and pissing her off. She hated this kind of stuff. Lying wasn’t her thing - she didn’t know why she was even trying to. Sighing, she confessed, “You’re right. I am.”_

_Suddenly standing, she slapped her hands on the table. Her palms stung but the pain was grounding. With a flood of courage she announced shakily, “I’m actually going out to dinner.”_

_Rose gasped from her seat, her face turning red and looking like she might explode, “You have a date!”_

“ _What,” Finn yelped, “of course she doesn’t. Rey would have told me!”_

_Rey shifted awkwardly on her feet under his gaze. She watched as he slumped back in his seat, awed. Nervous, Rey pulled the card out from her pants and fiddled it in her hands._

“ _You do have a date,” Finn whispered before jumping from his chair and asking, “Why didn’t you tell me? That’s great, Peanut!”_

“ _I don’t really have a date,” Rey insisted, trying to stop him from getting too excited too fast. Rose was already rounding the table and nearly bouncing on her toes like a giddy child. Rey pushed past them, heading towards the old phone on the wall despite her words, “He probably wasn’t serious.”_

_Rose was quicker than Rey thought and was by her side snatching the card from her fingers and inspecting it. For someone so short, she was agile and dodged Rey easily. Annoyed, Rey motioned at Finn to help but he just stood back, beaming and far too much on Rose’s side for her liking. So much for ‘bros before hoes’._

“ _Kylo Ren,” Rose read aloud, crinkling her nose, “weird name...”_

_Finn’s face curled up curiously, “Sounds familiar.”_

“ _Oh my gosh,” Rose cheered, ducking out of the way as Rey tried to tackle her down to the couch, “He’s a lawyer! Finn, Google him!”_

“ _No! Don’t Google him,” Rey yelled, frustrated and finished with everything._

_With a quick turn, she managed to snag Rose by her collar. She twisted her backwards and bent her over in a light headlock. Finn was frantically typing at his phone with his knees were bent and ready to run. In her arms, Rose twisted but Rey held strong and let her wear herself out. Relenting, Rose gave back the business card with a huff. Rey let her go and turned to set her sights on Finn._

_With dread, he immediately started spilling information from his mouth in a waterfall of words, “Kylo Ren. 29. Partner at ‘Ren & Associates’. Graduated Yale at 18 and-”_

_Behind her, Rose wolf whistled. Rey waved her off before rushing at Finn. They tumbled to the ground in a heap - Finn landing with an oof that gave Rey enough time to grab his phone. She tucked the phone between her hands and scrolled through it._

_Finn had pulled up Kylo’s profile on his law firm’s website. It was straight and to the point; the simple blurb started with everything Finn had read and continued on to describe the history of his career and imposing win record. Rey didn’t know a lot about the law - just enough to know when she broke it as a child - and knew even less about the court system past the dramatizations on TV, but she could tell everything she’d read was impressive._

_There was, however, no picture of him and some strange part of her was relieved._

_Below her, Finn stirred, squirming on the floor like a trapped fish, “Rey, I can’t breathe-“_

“ _Oh!”_

_Rey shuffled to her her feet and, released, Finn took a deep breath in. He coughed a little, but laughed as Rey handed him back his phone. Looking up at her, his face dropped and the dim smile faded away. He was cautious as he asked, “So, are you going to call?”_

“ _Yes,” Rey said, before quickly looking down at the card and frowning, “No - maybe? I don’t know.”_

_From the floor, Finn continued, soft and careful, “He’s a little old, don’t you think?”_

“ _Maybe,” she acquiesced._

_10 years. It was a larger gap than she should have been comfortable with. He was walking and speaking and would have been going to school and making friends all on his own before she was born. Her lack of experience was covering her like a cold embrace. She had never desired romance. There were more important things. She was overjoyed upon meeting Finn. Suddenly, she had a friend - someone to talk to, to listen to, to laugh with. And that was enough. It was enough._

_Still, her chest ached. Some little part deep inside wrenched and churned no matter how much she tried to convince herself that she was just being stupid, it persisted. Her emptiness whispered to her. It sang sweet words to her ears of tender kisses and hands sloped to intertwine. Pictures of Rose and Finn came to mind. They were so happy, so perfect. She knew she didn’t need someone to be happy, and she was happy,_ truly _._

_But she yearned._

_Rey wanted to hit herself. This guy was some hot shot lawyer, what would he think once he found out she was some little nobody? He probably had beautiful women throwing themselves at him everywhere he went. He didn't live in the UK - if his tourist eyes hadn’t given him away, the address on his business card had. He was looking for an overseas fling. That was it._

_Her heart plummeted at the thought. Thinking it through, it was so plain to see. Everything about her screamed broke from her ratty scarf to the over-worn boots she’d worn since she was 16. The air around him was anything but cheap. Her cheeks flushed at the memory of his cologne in her nose and the rich wool of his coat in her hands from when he’d run into her. She had only touched him twice, the hit from the coffee shop and when he had handed her his card. Their hands had touched, barely a graze but it had lit her on fire all the same._

_She looked down at the glossy card in her hands once more and her stomach twisted._

“ _And what kind of guy just chases someone down they just met? That’s just creepy - super creepy,” Finn muttered, finally getting to his feet to stand in front of her. Her met her gaze and Rey’s eyes flitted to the ground awkwardly._

_She had assumed it was an American thing. She’d seen plenty stranger romantic gestures in the movies they’d watched, but Finn was also American and if he thought it was odd then there must have been something to it._

_Suddenly, Rose yelled from across the room, “Dammit, Finn!”_

_Their jaws dropped, stupefied, as Rose stomped over with purpose. Rose swore about as much as a fairy tale princess, choosing instead to swear in types of tools and ice cream flavours. With an intense line to her mouth, Rose reached up and grabbed Finn’s face, squishing his cheeks between her hands and yanking him down to her level. If Rey wasn’t so stunned, she knew she’d be laughing uncontrollably._

“ _I know what you’re doing and stop it,” Rose chided._

_Finn struggled in her grip, and whined helplessly. The sounds coming out of his mouth were close enough to words but completely unrecognizable. Rose, however, had no issues with understanding him._

_She pursed her lips, unamused, but her voice was much gentler and Finn calmed considerably as she spoke, “I know what you’re doing, you silly man, but you can’t keep big brother-ing forever. Rey’s a big girl and her head is a lot fuller than yours most days - I mean, did you see her when she was fixing the TV last week? I thought she was going to electrocute herself and set the house on fire and-“_

_Finn coughed to stop her, and Rose shrugged sheepishly. She blushed, embarrassed, and continued, “Right. My point is... Rey can go on a date if she wants.” Finn tried to interject again, but Rose shushed him, “Yes! Even if he’s an American lawyer who’s a little older than her.”_

_Finally, Finn broke through Rose’s hold and sputtered, “A little?”_

“ _Yes!”_

_Rose threw her hands up in frustration and pointed Finn with a look. Quickly, she turned on her heel, snatching the business card once again from Rey’s hand. Unperturbed by both their looks, Finn a little put-out and Rey just straight confused, Rose whipped out her cellphone and before anyone could stop her was frantically typing in the number and thrusting the phone up against Rey’s ear._

_Finn balked, and Rose immediately cornered him before he could start to fight. Softly, she said, “C’mon, it’s one date. It’s not like she’s going to marry the guy.” Rose turned to Rey and conceded, “I mean, you could! Because who knows!”_

“ _Rose!”_

_She hushed him easily. Then, without another word, she took his hands and dragged him back into the kitchen leaving Rey alone with the phone ringing in her ear._

_Rey was stunned. The ringing in her ears was a buzz at the back of her brain. She could hear Rose and Finn bickering back in the kitchen, never loud enough to fully make out, but loud enough to be a distraction. Her feet took a step towards the kitchen when the ringing stopped and dead silence hit her and stopped her. She froze._

“ _Ren.”_

_It was his voice. It was professional and void of emotion, but the deep tone of his words had been running on repeat in her mind since that morning. Her chest bloomed with fuzzy warmth at the sound._

_He hummed, annoyed, and_ _repeated_ _, “Hello? This is Ren.”_

“ _Hello!” she croaked. Her voice cracked and she groaned, palming her forehead completely embarrassed. She could hear him breathing, waiting. Quickly, she covered the silence up with fake coughs and tried her best to pull herself together, “Um… Hi. This is – this is Rey. From earlier, you know, from the coffee shop.”_

“ _Oh, hey,” he replied. Suddenly, his voice had flipped. Gone was the stark professionalism and, instead, he sounded warm and his voice turned her blood to liquid honey, “You actually called.”_

_He was nervous and unsteady. Rey could practically hear him chocking on his own spit. It was endearing and settled her own nerves. If he was nervous, then maybe this wasn’t just some random tryst for him… she stopped herself before her thoughts went too far without her. It was just one date._

_Assuming…_

“ _Is that dinner still on the table?”_

——————

“So, my son told me this is this your first time in the States, Rey?”

Leia was quick to the questions and Kylo was surprised she had at least waited until the food had come. Rey, caught off guard, coughed harshly as a spoonful of mac n’ cheese went down hard. Kylo immediately reached over to pat her back. She smiled at him in thanks as the coughs went away, but felt her steel herself under his hands. He knew the look on her face well. It was the same one she wore when she dealt with unruly customers back in London. On the other side of the table, his mother was appraising her with kind but calculating eyes. Looking at the two of them, he wasn’t sure who he feared more.

“Yes,” Rey said, taking a second to calm herself with another bite of food, “I’ve never left London before now.”

“Not even to visit the mainland?”

Rey shrugged, “I never had a passport until a few months ago.”

“When my son proposed,” Leia prodded, gently but intent.

Han coughed gruffly and leaned into her, bumping shoulders to draw her attention. Indignant, Leia glared at him from the corner of her eyes. Han smirked.

“C’mon your Highness, don’t interrogate the poor kid,” he laughed.

“I’m doing no such thing,” she chided, gaping at him, “I’m just asking some questions.”

Rey interjected, quickly to stop the bickering, “It’s alright, really. I don’t mind.”

Under the table, Kylo’s hand settled on her thigh. He squeezed her leg in what was supposed to be a reassuring gesture; instead, Rey’s breath hitched and he felt her quiver. It was small, not enough to catch with his eyes but she was melting under his touch. He’s chest swelled with self-satisfaction. If she was on edge now, he couldn’t wait to get her home tonight.

He wondered, briefly, how much of a fit his mother would throw if he just grabbed her and dragged her home to ravage her.

“How did you meet,” Han asked, obviously trying to change the pace before his mother got too personal. Leia’s demeanor changed at the question and turned to stare at the two of them with wide eyes. The politician was gone, for the moment, and in its place his mother was back. It baffled Kylo how quick the change could come, almost as if she were two different people merged into one small person.

His thoughts of his mother left him when Rey’s hand joined his on her thigh. Her fingers were cold and familiar. He flipped his palm upwards and threaded their fingers together. Her hand fit his perfectly. It was his turn to have shivers run through him. Her touch, no matter how small and insignificant, never failed to ignite him.

Rey ducked her head, smiling and blushing under her hair. When she came back up, she was composed, but her smile remained. It was infectious and Kylo couldn’t help the quirk he felt in his lips to smile along with him.

“Kylo knocked me over while I was leaving a Costa’s.”

“No,” he said, his voice feigning annoyance as best he could, “You knocked me over while I was entering.”

“He spilled hot tea all over my jacket. I was damp all day,” she said, giggling.

Leia’s lip curled in confusion, “And that worked?”

Beside her, Han burst out in hearty laughter, attracting many stares around them. Kylo pinched the bridge of his nose and ran his hand through his hair nervously. He hated how easily his parents could start a scene. Han’s over the top reactions were only the tip of the iceberg and Kylo knew that once the laughter started, it would all go down hill from there.

“It did,” Rey admitted with a gentle shrug, “Though, one of my roommates was the one who convinced me to accept.”

Suddenly, Rey yawned. It ended in a squeak and Kylo’s heart stuttered at the sound. Across the table, his parents eyes softened and he was relieved to know that the questions would stop before they truly began. His mother wouldn’t be easily placated, but for now, it was a comfort to know that it was over.

“Sorry,” Rey sighed, a little sleepy. She turned to him and asked, “Kylo, do you know where the loo is?”

He pointed her towards the back where a neon sign pointed the way. She excused herself and shuffled around the tables. Once out of sight, Kylo turned his eyes back to the table only to find his parents looking at him sternly and intently.

“She calls you ‘Kylo’,” Leia stated. He could feel the disappointment coming off of her like a thick smoke.

“She does,” he answered starkly, “It’s my name.”

Han’s jaw cracked audibly as he leaned forward and chewed his tongue. He rasped, “Did you even tell her? Christ Ben, you’re marrying the girl.”

Leia interrupted, promptly adding another question onto Han’s, “Does she know anything about your heritage?”

“And how old is she,” Han insisted hard eyed and lock-jawed, “I know she’s no cougar.”

Apparently, he’d been wrong in assuming the night was finished. The interrogation had merely moved to him and his parents were never easy. Nausea was growing rapidly in his stomach. The three of them had been walking on egg shells around each other – each worried about breaking the unspoken truce upon his return to the family. He swallowed it back as best he could and blanked his face.

This was like any other argument. Any other debate. He could do this.

“Rey knows I changed my name,” he said coldly, “I explained why. She knows all about my transgressions. She does not know me by ‘Ben’ or anything else because frankly, she doesn’t need to. It’s not my name anymore.”

Leia opened her mouth to interject again, but Kylo continued speaking, “No, she doesn’t know about Alderaan.”

“That’s sort of a big thing to leave out,” Han slurred. At least, he was being quiet enough not to start a proper scene, “Her age, Ben?”

Kylo gulped, “She’ll be 20 next month.”

“10 years!?” Han gawked. Immediately, his expression fell and a wide smirk spread across his face, “I didn’t think you had it in ya, kid.”

“Han!” Leia gasped.

“What? So far there’s a lot more to be mad at besides the age thing.”

She stopped the conversation with a hand. The men waited for her to speak. Her years of decorum were informing her every move and decision. Reaching for her wine glass, she downed the nearly full cup before addressing her son again.

“What do you expect to happen now?”

The question threw him off guard. It wasn’t often his mother gave him much power in an argument or any decision if she could help it. Instead of wasting time pondering the oddity, he fell back into his thoughts on Rey. She would be returning from the bathroom any minute now. He could wait it out with rambling nonsense until she was back and return to this better prepared. Leia cocked an eyebrow at him and he realized that wasn’t possible.

“I’ll tell her everything in time,” he said cautiously, not quite sure if even he believed the words as he spoke them, “Until then, just don’t say anything.”

As if divine intervention was sent down in pity for him, Rey appeared back in the dining room. She had a tiredness to her step and was slower than she was on the way there. The jet lag was catching up to her and Kylo couldn’t be happier for it.

He stood as she approached the table and collected his jacket off the back of his chair. She looked at him confused.

“Are we leaving?”

He nodded, “You seem exhausted, sweetheart.”

He flicked his eyes to his parents like an arrow pointing the way. Rey hummed and tilted her head inconspicuously in understanding. She took his hand when he offered it.

“You’re right,” she agreed, “It’s been a long day.”

Rey was quick to bid a farewell to his parents, taking time to apologize for their sudden departure. Han and Leia plastered smiles on hid the awkwardness easily. Years of politics and less than legal operations had their benefits.

It only took a few minutes for the taxi Kylo had called as they left the restaurant to pull up. Rey was leaning into his shoulder, her hands clinging to his jacket lapels and resting her cheek against his chest. He helped her into the car with ease. Her protests were small, insisting she was fine and capable, but within moments of hitting the car seat, she was asleep on his shoulder and snoring softly in his ear.

She stayed asleep as he paid the driver and collected her in his arms. She curled up closer to the warmth of his chest as they walked. She was light enough that he had no issues. Her body fit against him perfectly, even like this. He loved how small she seemed when she slept against him, her body always trying to tuck further into his arms and steal his heat.

As he finally managed to maneuver them into his apartment, she woke with the slam of his front door. She looked up at him with bleary eyes, reaching out to stroke the growing stubble on his cheeks. He nuzzled into her palm, kissing her fingers as they came in reach. She laughed and pulled them back into her chest.

“Tired?” he asked.

She didn’t answer, but instead looked around the room from where she sat in his arms. Even half alseep, she gasped.

“Kylo… did you?”

He only leaned in and kissed her hair as an answer. She strained to look around the room, but made no move to leave his arms. From the front door, a lush path of flower petals dusted the floor. The mishmash of colours were obvious and pretty even in the dull light of his apartment; the lights from the windows let in the lights of the streetlamps and city buildings.

She grinned, her smile turning cat-like as she followed the path with her eyes, “Where does it lead?”

“I think you know,” he muttered, husky with promise.

He walked them down the path. Rey watched contently from his arms, memorizing the scene and the apartment as much as she could with sleep trying to catch her. The door to the bedroom was purposely left open. His bed was covered in more flower petals and candles lay unlit around the room. He had planned everything to a tee.

But…

Rey yawned again in his arms. He relented, and plopped her down into the middle of the bed of flowers. She laughed and tried to reach for him but he batted her hands away. She purred under his hands as he reached for her sweater and pulled it over her head. Smirking, she snapped the straps of her bra at him. He groaned, but persisted, and stripped her to her underwear.

With a naughty glint in her eyes, Rey let her legs fall open for him. Even in the dark, Kylo could see her wetness soaking through her panties. He couldn’t help the wandering hand that instinctual reached and traced the seam of her through the cotton and lace. She moaned, soft and enticing.

“You going to ravage me, Monster?”

He growled, low in his throat. The sound only spurred her on more, writhing her hips to try and encourage his hands. He wanted to. He wanted her so bad his body ached with the presage of pleasure she promised. His cock had been hard all night – only waning with stress and returning with a vengeance every time she looked at him again.

Instead, his hand fell and he shuffled her under the covers. He sighed, “Tomorrow.”

She whined tried to reach for him to change his mind. Her fingers just grazed his tented cock before Kylo could pull away and strip down himself. From the bed, he could hear her whimpers of approval as he finally disrobed down to his boxer-briefs.

He captured her lips as he crawled into bed beside her. She happily returned it, slanting her mouth further over his and dipping her tongue against his lips. He groaned.

This woman was going to be the death of him. He knew it.

He collected her in his arms to keep her trailing hands at bay before she convinced him otherwise. Raining kisses across her face, she preened under his attentions and calmed. He could feel her finally stopping her wicked movements in his arms and sleep finally coming to claim her again. Pressing up into his chest, a finger stroked his nipple playfully and she pressed a wet kiss on his sternum.

“Why?” she finally asked.

“Because I want us both to remember this.”

She pouted, her eyes finally fluttering shut despite her eagerness. Again, she fell asleep within moments and with her finally ensnared in his arms, in _their_ bed, Kylo followed her into oblivion until the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For everyone who came back to read this after months, Thank You!

**Author's Note:**

> So this was completely inspired by watching FAR TOO MUCH "90 Day Fiancee".  
> This is sort of a side project for when I get stuck on Azalea chapters and need a little break from it. So, while Azalea will still be my main priority, this will still update, just much more sporadically.  
> For those who don't know: a K-1 Visa is an immigration visa that allows the fiance(e) of an American citizen to come to the USA. It lasts 90 days in which they must be married or the fiance(e) must return home. Once married, the fiance(e) is able to become an American citizen.
> 
> This work is not Beta-Read and all mistakes are my own.


End file.
